PASTORAL OFFICES 



BY 



w. 



. H. FU 



RNESS, D. D. 




BOSTON AND NEW YORK 
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 
(C6e fitocrsibe prc?s, >jraml>n&0E 

1S93 




Copyright, 1893, 
By W. H. FURNESS. 

All rights reserved. 



The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U.S. A. 
Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton and Company. 



CONTENTS 



Introduction 5 

Baptismal Service 11 

Marriage Service 17 

Funeral Service 23 

Sentences Introductory to Public or Social 

Worship 37 

Hymns and other Pieces 55 



INTRODUCTION 



The distinguishing power, the life and soul of 
the Religion of Christ, as I make bold to define 
it, is the spirit of a profound and divine Human- 
ity, which, expressed not in his words alone, but 
chiefly in his personal, divinely human character, 
he breathes into the world, and which is mani- 
fested more or less impressively in all the different 
forms that the Religion springing from him has 
been made to assume. 

Jesus neither instituted any religious forms nor, 
it is important to observe, did he forbid any. 
Modes of thought and observance were left to 
appear, and to vary, as they needs must in dif- 
ferent times and places, only they were not to be 
put above or on a level with the first two great 
commandments. Whatever doctrines or rituals, 
however they may differ, tend to enlarge the 
heart towards God and Man, are all equally 
invested with Christian authority. 



6 



INTRODUCTION 



Baptism 

is universally regarded as an initiatory rite. 
But no word of Christ's authorizes this view of 
it. He never baptized any one ; nor in the 
particular instructions he gave to his disciples 
as to their offices as heralds of the kingdom of 
heaven is there any mention of Baptism. Once 
only, in the last chapter of Mark, he is said to 
have declared that whosoever believeth and 
is baptized shall be saved. But, not to mention 
that the closing verses of the second Gospel are 
of doubtful authenticity, it is surely far more 
probable that the words " and is baptized " have 
crept from the margin into the text than that 
only on this one occasion Jesus required bap- 
tism. John the Baptizer said that, while his 
own influence was symbolized by water which 
cleanses only the outward man, the influence of 
him who was to come would be signified by 
the more searching, penetrating power of wind 
and fire, separating the good from the evil, even 
as these elements separate the chaff from the 
wheat, destroying the evil and garnering the 
good. John's heart had burned within him in 
communion with his great kinsman. 



INTRODUCTION 1 

Baptism of infants and of adults may yet be 
used as a recognition of the sacred relationship 
of man to the Infinite Father of all. 

The Lord's Supper 

So also this Commemorative Service is held 
to be of an initiatory character. Of the four 
Gospels, only one contains any word of its being 
enjoined as a formal observance. In Luke's 
Gospel alone do we read, " This do in remem- 
brance of me." Were it deliberately designed 
by Jesus as a religious form, it is unaccountable 
that not a hint of his so intending it is to be 
found elsewhere in the Gospels. 

My conviction is that, as a purely commemo- 
rative service, it has a deeper foundation than 
formal institution. It sprang from the very 
heart of human nature. Bear in mind how in- 
stinctively men are prompted to cherish and 
commemorate remarkable events, and you will 
see that it could not have been otherwise than 
that the last time that the discij)les of Jesus ate 
and drank with him, and his startling allusion to 
his body to be broken like the bread of which 
they were partaking, and to his blood to be 



8 INTRODUCTION 

poured out like the red wine which they were 
drinking, should make an impression on them 
never to be forgotten. When, after his death, 
they ate and drank together, his words must have 
recurred to them, making that last scene forever 
memorable. Could anything be more natural ? 
And was it not equally natural that, impressed 
as they were by his words at the Last Supper, 
the idea should be conceived that it was the 
intention of their Master that he should be thus 
specially held in remembrance ? I gather from 
what Paul says in his Epistles that, at the first, 
whenever the disciples ate and drank together 
the meal was made commemorative of the last 
they had with him. 

Among Liberal Christians, — I use this term 
simply as a designation, — the Lord's Supper is 
falling into decay. Only a few of those attend- 
ing church stay to join in it, and some of our 
churches have ceased to observe it. 

Towards the close of my pastorate, before I 
had thought of resigning the pastoral office, I 
omitted the observance for some time, and in that 
time I was only twice asked when we were to 
have it again. After an interval, I resumed it, 
devoting the whole morning service to the com- 



INTRODUCTION 9 

memoration of our greatest Friend under God, 
who lived and died for us all. On the Com- 
munion table, there were only one plate, on which 
was a broken loaf of bread, and one cup of wine. 
I began the Service of the morning by remarking 
that none present were required to eat of the 
bread or drink of the wine, that the bread and 
the wine on the table were there only as symbols, 
that it was my office to interpret their meaning, 
— what they stood for. And if I were able to 
show what they signified, even the faith and love 
of him whose body was broken and whose blood 
was poured out on the Cross for God's sake and 
for man's, and if they felt their sense of the divine 
beauty of his spirit, of his character, then they 
would commemorate the Lord Jesus in spirit and 
in truth. Then would they have drunk the wine 
of the wine, and partaken of the bread of the 
bread. Thus all present, men and women, young 
and old, friends and strangers, were invited to 
unite in the Commemorative Service, and they 
accepted the invitation. 



BAPTISMAL SERVICE 



Prayer 

0 God of parents and of children ! 
All souls are Thine. As the soul of the 
parent, so also the soul of the child is 
Thine. The ties of nature and of blood 
which bind us to one another are sym- 
bols of the more intimate tie that binds 
every one of us forever to Thee, the 
Highest and Holiest. 0 Thou Father, 
and more than Father, of our spirits, in 
this little one we recognize an immortal 
child of Thine, sent hither, not only to 
gratify the affection of its earthly par- 
ents, but as a sacred trust and treasure, 
committed to their care to be trained up 
for Thee, to fulfil Thy purposes, to do 
Thy will. 



14 BAPTISMAL SERVICE 

And now, by water, the means of 
outward and the sign of inward cleans- 
ing, these Thy servants acknowledge 
Thine immortal property, and signify 
their heart's desire and prayer for Thy 
Grace, that their influence may be a 
ceaseless baptism, keeping this beloved 
child pure and unspotted from the world. 
Bless them, we beseech Thee, and an- 
swer the prayers that rise unutterably 
from their hearts. May their light ever 
shine upon this child ; so shall they be 
blest, beholding it growing up, adorned 
day by day with every grace, entering 
into the Life divine and eternal, into 
the spirit of Thy Holy Child, one with 
him and with Thee. 

This child, named ... I baptize into 
the name of the Father and the Son 
and the Holy Spirit. 

And now may this water prove a true 
emblem of Thine all-purifying Love, and 



BAPTISMAL SERVICE 15 

this child be holy unto Thee, 0 God 
most merciful. May Thy servants pro- 
tect and guide it in the way that leads 
to Life and Peace everlasting. We 
know not what awaits it, whether joy or 
sorrow, light or darkness. 0 Thou with- 
out whose will not a sparrow falls to the 
ground, we know that nothing can be- 
fall this little one whose angel doth al- 
ways behold Thy face, without Thy will. 
Let no temptation assail it stronger than 
it can resist, no burden be laid on it 
heavier than it can bear. Breathe into 
it Thine all-ministering Spirit, the holy 
mind of him who took little children 
in his arms and blest them. And at 
last, when we all and the children Thou 
hast given us shall, one after another, 
be called hence, may we meet, never to 
be separated, in Thy blessed Presence, 
which we ask as the disciples of him who 
died that we might live ; giving praise 



16 BAPTISMAL SERVICE 

to Thee, his Father and our Father, and 
thanksgiving f orevermore. 

[The Rite of Baptism is most appropriately ob- 
served, not in public, but at home, and may be 
administered by the father or mother of the child, 
or by any friend.] 



MARRIAGE SERVICE 



In the presence of the All-seeing you 
are to be united in holy marriage, or- 
dained of God. It hath in it " the la- 
bors of love, the delicacies of friendship, 
the blessings of society, the union of 
hearts and hands." 

Into this state, " Divine in its origin, 
sacramental in its signification," you are 
now to enter. You are aware that these 
obligations are not to be lightly assumed, 
but seriously, and in the fear of God. 

Do you . . . take ... to be your 
wedded wife, and as a faithful Christian 
husband, will you love her, honor her, 
and cherish her in health and in sick- 
ness, in joy and in sorrow, until death 
shall separate you ? 



20 MARRIAGE SERVICE 

[The same to be said to the bride (addressing 
theru. both by their first names). Then hand the 
ring to the bridegroom with these words :] 

With this ring, the symbol of perfec- 
tion and of eternity, you plight to each 
other your truth, your honor, and your 
love. 

[The ring being placed on the bride's hand by 
the bridegroom, the minister pronounces the man 
and the woman married in these terms :] 

I pronounce you husband and wife. 
What God hath joined together, let no 
man put asunder. 

Prayer 

0 Thou Bountiful Giver ! We thank 
Thee for our countless blessings, but es- 
pecially now for the sacred affections im- 
planted in our hearts, and for all the 
happiness that comes, and all the help, 



MARRIAGE SERVICE 21 

from the union and communion of our 
souls. We bless Thee for Thy goodness 
to these Thy servants, and implore Thy 
continued blessing on them in the holy 
and tender connection which has now 
been formed between them. Aid them, 
Gracious Father, to fulfil faithfully the 
vows of love and fidelity which they 
have now exchanged before Thee. May 
they love Thee supremely ; so shall their 
love for each other endure. Grant them 
all the blessings of the state into which 
they have now entered. If Thou shouldst 
give them bountifully of earthly good, 
or if Thou shouldst visit them with loss 
and privation, may their joys be doubled, 
and their sorrows divided by mutual 
affection. And, having Thee for their 
Almighty Friend and Guide, may they 
pass blamelessly through this life, and 
when parted by death may it be in the 
hope of a reunion in that higher condi- 



22 MARRIAGE SERVICE 

tion of being where there is no marrying 
nor giving in marriage, but where all 
are as the angels of God. To Thee be 
blessing and praise forevermore. 



•funeral ^ttUcz 



FUNERAL SERVICE 



Even so, Father, for so it seemeth 
good in Thy sight. Clouds and dark- 
ness are round about Thee, which our 
finite understandings cannot penetrate, 
but we know that light and darkness, 
joy and sorrow, life and death, are Thine 
angels. The faith which the countless 
blessings that we have done nothing 
and can do nothing to deserve, inspires, 
pierces the gloom and beholds the 
blessed light of Thine everlasting Love. 

" Let us be patient, for our afflictions 
Not from the ground arise, 
But oftentimes celestial benedictions 
Assume this dark disguise. 

" We see but dimly through the mist and vapors, 
Amidst these earthly damps, 



26 FUNERAL SERVICE 

What seem to us but dim funereal tapers 
May be Heaven's distant lamps. 

" There is no death, what seems so is transition, 
This breath of mortal life 
Is but the suburb of the life elysian, 
Whose portal we name death." 

"Let not your hearts be troubled. 
Trust in God. Trust also in me/' said 
J esus. " In the world you will have trib- 
ulations. But be of good cheer, I have 
overcome the world." And did he not 
overcome it gloriously, making even the 
black and bitter cross minister to his 
perfection ? His footsteps 

" they make bright 
Through the Dark, the way to light." 

"Come unto me/' he saith, "all ye 
who are weary and heavy laden, and I 
will give you rest." 

" Come unto me, when shadows darkly gather, 
And the sad heart is wear} and distressed, 



FUNERAL SERVICE 27 

Seeking for comfort from our heavenly Father, 
Come unto me, and I will give you rest. 



" Ye who have mourned when the spring flowers 
were taken, 

When the ripe fruit fell richly to the ground, 
When the loved slept, in brighter homes to waken, 
Where their pale brows with victory are 
crowned. 

" There, like an Eden blossoming in gladness, 
Bloom the fair flowers the earth too rudely 
pressed ; 

Come unto me, all ye who droop in sadness, 
Come unto me, and I will give you rest." 

" Come unto me, and I will give you 
rest." What Rest is offered us? Rest, 
dear friends, in the unchangeable Good- 
ness of God, in the faith that the same 
Love that attends us when we enter into 
this present life is with us when we de- 
part. Before thou sawest the light, two 
beings, commissioned of God, His very 



28 FUNERAL SERVICE 

angels, stood ready to receive and wel- 
come thee and fold thee into their in- 
most hearts. We may be well assured 
that the same Love provides for us as 
tenderly when we pass into the impene- 
trable mystery of death. 

As the flowers of the field, so we 
flourish. The wind passes over them, and 
they are gone, and their places will know 
them no more. Lord, make me to know 
mine end, and the measure of my days 
what it is. Thou hast made my life as 
a hand's breadth. And before Thee 
my age is as nothing. Surely man 
walketh in a vain show. And now, 0 
God, what wait we for ? Upon what on 
earth can we depend? Every earthly 
tie is breaking. Every earthly support 
fails us. Our hope is in Thee, who art 
from everlasting to everlasting, and in 
Thy Holy Child, Jesus, who hath said : 
" I am the Resurrection and the Life. 



FUNERAL SERVICE 29 

Whosoever believeth in me, though he 
were dead, yet will he live, and whoso 
liveth, believing' in me, will never die." 

What is this wonderful life-giving 
faith, of which Jesus spake, by which 
the dead live again, and the living never 
die but pass from life to life ? 0 friends, 
it is no cold and formal assent of the 
understanding to any verbal and for- 
mal propositions concerning the nature 
or offices of Christ. It is the faith of 
the heart, faith in all that is truthful 
and pure and honorable, so that when 
our friends who depart this life have 
given evidence of this heart-faith in 
their characters, we need not trouble 
ourselves about what may have been 
their opinions ; the opinions of the wis- 
est fall far short of the truth. We may 
rest assured that they have fallen asleep 
in that faith which is no act of the 
mortal body, but the inspiration of the 



30 FUNERAL SERVICE 

undying spirit which is the life of God 
in man and cannot perish. 

We dwell in crumbling houses of 
clay. 

" Life and Thought have gone away, 
Side by side, 

Leaving door and windows wide ; 
(Careless tenants they ! 

" All within is dark as night ; 
In the windows is no light ; 
And no murmur at the door, 
So frequent on its hinge before. 

" Close the door, the shutters close, 

Or through the windows we shall see 
The nakedness and vacancy 
Of the dark, deserted house. 

" Come away ; no more of mirth 
Is here, or merry-making sound. 
The house was builded of the earth, 
And shall fall again to ground. 

" Come away ; for Life and Thought 
Here no longer dwell ; 



FUNERAL SERVICE 31 

But in a city glorious — 

A great and distant city — have sought 

A mansion incorruptible. 
Would they could have stayed with us ! " 

The grave is always open ; and those 
we know and love, the delights of our 
eyes, the idols of our hearts, vanish ; 
their dear forms are laid in that cold and 
silent mansion. Our eyes will rest on 
them no more. We are left weeping 
and alone. But we are never, never 
alone. Thy most intimate presence, 0 
Thou Eternal One, surrounds us forever. 
It is Thy power that is at this moment 
upholding every one of us in life. It is 
Thy Spirit that is now seeking to com- 
mune with our spirits through the event 
which has brought us together. In all 
our sorrows help us to turn with our 
whole hearts to Thee. Whom have we 
in heaven but Thee ? There is nothing 
on earth to desire but Thy Love, 0 
Thou Giver of life and consolation. 



32 FUNERAL SERVICE 

We cannot but feel our dependence 
on a Higher Power, now that we are 
here paying the last offices of respect 
and affection to the remains of one to 
whom some here present were bound by 
very tender and sacred ties, and to whom 
we were all united by a common nature 
and a common hope. 0 God most gra- 
cious, be present now in our inmost 
hearts, that we may see Thy Hand, that 
we may hear Thy Voice. We are prone 
to live as if we were our own makers 
and masters, as if all that we call ours, 
the friends Thou hast given us, were 
sent into the world for our sakes alone, 
and not to fulfil purposes of Thine of 
inconceivable greatness. We promise 
ourselves that to-morrow will be as to- 
day, and even more prosperous, that the 
mountain of our health and prosperity 
stands strong and cannot be shaken. 
But, by the departure of the near and 



FUNERAL SERVICE 33 

the clear, the inexorable conditions of 
this our mortal existence are brought 
home to us. The silent angels of the 
Sovereign Will, disease and death, enter 
our households, and the dearest are smit- 
ten, and their faces are changed, and 
they are called away. We shall follow 
them, but they will never return to us. 
Then are we made to feel how brief is 
our sojourn here on earth, and how frail 
are all human ties, all human supports. 
But then, too, we learn the unspeakable 
worth of the glorious gospel of light 
and love and immortal hope, under which 
it is our precious privilege to live, and 
which speaks to us not as creatures of the 
dust but as children of the Highest, into 
whom His inspiration has breathed a 
spirit which is destined to triumph over 
all outward changes, even over this last 
great mystery of death. 

With one heart we pray that the ex- 



34 FUNERAL SERVICE 

ceeding comfort of this faith may pos- 
sess the hearts of our bereaved friends. 
May they consider that, tender and strong 
as were the ties that bound them to the 
departed, all human ties are weak com- 
pared with the tie that binds every soul 
of flesh forever to the Unseen and 
Ever-living One. In unchangeable wis- 
dom and love He gives and He takes 
away. May the memory of the departed, 
consecrated by the solemn mystery of 
death, dwell in the hearts of the afflicted, 
an angelic ministrant, forever pointing 
them upward and onward. May we all 
lay to heart the admonitions of this hour, 
seeing that we know not what a day, 
what an hour, may bring forth, or how 
soon and how suddenly we may be called 
away and others may be performing for 
us the offices that we are performing 
now. May our loins be girt about and 
our lamps be trimmed and burning, so 



FUNERAL SERVICE 35 

that when the summons comes to us, we 
may be found in the attitude of duty, 
like servants awaiting the coming 1 of the 
master. 

And now we deposit these remains in 
the bosom of our mother earth in the 
faith that as not one atom of this dust 
is forgotten before God, but is still obe- 
dient to his law, so the spirit beloved 
which a little while ago animated it is 
still safe in the keeping of that Provi- 
dence which is over all, the seen and the 
unseen, the living and the dead. 

Our Father who art in Heaven, hal- 
lowed be Thy name on our lips and in 
our hearts. May Thy kingdom come, 
the kingdom of Love, of Peace, and of 
Righteousness. May Thy Will be done 
by men on earth as it is done by the blest 
in Heaven. Grant unto us now and 
evermore all that is needful for the body 
and for the soul. May we forgive as we 



36 FUNERAL SERVICE 

hope to be forgiven. Let us not be led 
into temptation, but in Thine Infinite 
Mercy deliver us from all evil, for Thine 
is the kingdom and the power and the 
glory forever and ever. 



^etttences ginttonuctot;? to ^ub- 
lit or portal fKHoratyip 



SENTENCES INTRODUCTORY TO 
PUBLIC OR SOCIAL WORSHIP 



i 

He who dwelleth in Love dwelleth in 
God, in the secret place of the Highest, 
under the Shadow of Almighty power. 
So make God thy habitation, and He will 
give His angels charge over thee to keep 
thee and guide thee in all thy ways. For 
those who dwell in love, all things work 
together for good, — light and darkness, 
joy and sorrow, life and death, even as the 
darkest lot, the bitter cross, ministered 
to the perfection of God's holiest Son. 

What manner of love is this that is 
bestowed on us, that we are called to the 
immortal inheritance of children of God, 
partakers of the Divine Nature ! In the 



40 INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 

Lord Jesus we behold what we are cre- 
ated to become. Thanks be to God for 
this blessed Revelation ! 

Bless the Lord, the bountiful Giver. 
His mercies are new upon us every morn- 
ing and every evening. He crowneth our 
lives with His loving-kindness. Pour out 
your hearts before Him in thankfulness, 
and beseech Him to guide us in the right 
way, not for any merits of ours or of any 
other, but for His own goodness' sake, 
which we have done nothing to deserve. 

ii 

The Spirit of the Lord, said Jesus, is 
upon me, because He hath anointed me 
to proclaim glad tidings to the poor. He 
hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, 
to proclaim deliverance to the captives, 
and recovery of sight to the blind, to set 
at liberty those who are bruised. 

Come unto me, all who are weary and 



INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 41 

heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Take my yoke upon you, for it is easy, 
and my burthen, for it is light. 

By this will all men know that you 
are my disciples, if you have love one to 
another. 

Herein is our heavenly Father glori- 
fied, that we bear the fruits of Holiness 
in our daily lives. 

Greater love hath no one than to lav 
down his life for his friends. You are 
my friends, if you do what I have com- 
manded you. I call you not servants, for 
the servant knoweth not what the mas- 
ter cloeth. He who doeth the Divine Will 
is in communion and fellowship with the 
Most High, who worketh within us to 
will and to do. 

in 

God, who made the world and all that 
is therein, seeing that He is Lord of 



42 INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 

Heaven and of Earth, dwelleth not in 
temples made with hands, neither is 
worshipped by men's hands as though 
He needeth anything. He giveth to all 
life and breath and all things, and hath 
made of one blood all the nations on 
the earth. ; 

Not every one who crieth Lord, Lord, 
will enter into the heavenly kingdom, 
but he who doeth the Will of our Father 
in Heaven. The humble and contrite 
heart is the chosen dwelling-place of 
Him whom the heaven of heavens cannot 
contain. There are made known His 
Presence and His Peace, the Peace that 
passeth all understanding, but which 
only the heart knoweth. 

He who doeth the truth cometh to 
the light. 

Let thine eye be single, and thy whole 
heart shall be full of light. 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by 



INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 43 

the mercies of God, that we present our- 
selves living offerings unto God, and 
be no longer conformed to the world, 
but be transformed by the renewing of 
our minds, that our worship may be ac- 
ceptable in His sight. 

IV 

Wherewith shall we come before the 
Lord, and bow ourselves before the 
High God ? Shall we come before Him 
with burnt offerings, with calves a year 
old? Will the Lord be pleased with 
thousands of rams or with ten thousands 
of rivers of oil? To what purpose is 
the multitude of your sacrifices unto 
me? saith the Lord. He hath shown 
thee, 0 man, what is good; and what is 
required of thee, but to do justly, and 
love mercy, and walk humbly before 
Him? Cease to do evil, learn to do well. 

Whosoever heareth these sayings, and 



i 



44 INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 

doeth them 5 will be likened to a wise 
man, who built his house upon a rock. 
And the rain descended, and the floods 
came, and the winds blew, and beat 
upon that house ; and it fell not : for it 
was founded on a rock. And every one 
who heareth these sayings, and doeth 
them not, will be likened to a foolish 
man, who built his house upon the 
sand. And the rain descended, and the 
floods came, and the winds blew, and 
beat upon that house ; and it fell : and 
the ruin of that house was complete, 

v 

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come 
ye to the waters. If any one thirst, 
said Jesus, let him come unto me and 
drink; the water that I will give him 
shall be in him a well of water spring- 
ing up forever. 

Blessed are they who thirst for Right- 
eousness ! They will be filled. 



INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 45 

Wherefore do you spend money for 
that which is not bread, and your labor 
for that which satisfieth not? Doth not 
Wisdom cry ? Unto you, 0 men, I cry, 
and my voice is to the sons of men. 
Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse 
it not. Incline your ear unto me. Hear, 
and your souls shall live. I love them 
that love me, and those who seek me 
early shall find me. Whoso findeth me, 
findeth life. 

Cast away from you all your trans- 
gressions, and make you a new heart and 
a new spirit. Happy is he who loveth 
knowledge rather than rubies, and wis- 
dom rather than fine gold. 

VI 

0 come, let us worship and bow down 
our hearts before God our Maker. 

We are the people of I lis care, the 
flock of His pasture, lie will lead us 



46 INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 

in green places, and cause us to lie down 
by still waters. 

He will restore our souls, and lead us 
in the paths of righteousness for his 
own goodness' sake. 

Yea, though we enter the valley of 
the shadow of death, we will not fear, 
for He is with us forever. His rod as 
well as His staff will comfort us. 

He prepareth a table for us. The 
cup of our blessings runneth over. 
Surely goodness and mercy follow us all 
the days of our lives, and we dwell in 
His Presence forevermore. 

Wait only on God. They who trust 
Him will be as Mount Zion, that can- 
not be moved. 

As the mountains are round about 
Jerusalem, so is God round about His 
children forever. 



INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 47 



VII 

For. Easter 

God, who commanded the light to 
shine out of darkness, hath shone into 
our hearts, to give us the light of the 
knowledge of the glory of God in the 
person of Jesus Christ. 

Now is Christ risen from the dead, 
and become the firstfruits of them who 
slept. 

Since by man came death, by man 
came also the resurrection of the dead. 

As in Adam all die, even so in Christ 
shall all be made alive. 

It became Him, for whom are all 
things and "by whom are all things, in 
bringing many sons unto glory, to make 
die leader of their salvation perfect 
through suffering. 

Now may the God of peace, who 



48 INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 

brought again from the dead the Lord 
Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 
make you perfect in every good word 
and work. 

Be ye steadfast, immovable, always 
abounding in the work of the Lord, for 
ye know that your labor cannot be in 
vain. 

VIII 

Thus saith the Lord : The Heaven 
is my throne, and the earth is my foot- 
stool. Where is the house ye can build 
for me, and where is the place of my 
rest? 

Hearken unto me, all ye who follow 
after righteousness, execute true judg- 
ment, and show mercy and compassion, 
every man to his brother. Then will I 
comfort my children, and make the wil- 
derness like Eden, and the desert like 
the garden of the Lord. I, even I, am 



INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 49 

He who comforteth you, saith the Lord. 
Who art thou that thou shouldst be 
afraid of man that shall die, and for- 
gettest the Lord thy Maker, who hath 
stretched forth the heavens as a curtain, 
and laid the foundations of the earth ? 
I am thy God. I have put my law 
in thy heart, and covered thee with the 
shadow of my hand. 

The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and 
raiseth up those who are bowed down. 

They who sow in tears shall reap in 

0 trust in the Lord, and worship Him 
in spirit and in truth, then shall the 
light of His Love break forth on thee 
like the morning, and sorrow shall flee 
away. 

IX 

When we draw near to God in spirit 
and in truth, it is He who worketh in us 



50 INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 

to will and to do, who is drawing near 
to us and breathing His spirit into our 
hearts. 

His coming forth is still and silent as 
the morning. He will come to us like 
the rain, like the latter and former rain 
to the earth. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, and 
the unrighteous man his thoughts : and 
draw near to the Lord, and He will have 
mercy on him. My thoughts are not your 
thoughts, neither are my ways your 
ways, saith the Lord. 

As the rain cometh down from heaven, 
and returneth not thither, but watereth 
the earth, and maketh it bring forth 
and bud, that it may give seed to the 
sower, and bread to the eater, so shall 
my spirit go forth. It shall not return 
unto me void, but it shall accomplish that 
which I please, and prosper in the thing 
whereto I send it. 



INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 51 



X 

Stand in awe, and put far away all 
worldly thoughts, so shall this house be 
in deed and in truth the house of God, 
the gate of Heaven. They who wait 
upon God in sincerity will renew their 
strength. They will run, and never be 
weary. They will mount as on eagles' 
wings. They will enter into full com- 
munion with the Highest and Holiest, 
into the divine peace which the world, 
with all its treasures, can neither give 
nor take away, and which passeth all 
understanding. By the abounding mer- 
cies of God, let us be conjured to present 
ourselves to Him, living offerings. We 
can do nothing to merit His favor. The 
very power to do and endure His Will 
is our highest privilege and His great- 
est blessing. Serving Him faithfully, 
loving Him supremely, when we gather 



52 INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 

here to worship, our imperfect offices 
of praise and prayer shall be as incense, 
and the lifting up of our hearts an ac- 
ceptable sacrifice. 

Blessed are the lowly minded, for 
theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. 

Blessed are they who mourn, for they 
shall be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek, for they will 
inherit the earth. 

Blessed are they who hunger and 
thirst for righteousness, for they will be 
filled. 

Blessed are the merciful, for they will 
obtain mercy. 

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they 
will see God. 

Blessed are the peace-makers, for they 
will be called the children of God. 

Blessed are they who are persecuted 
for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the 
kingdom of Heaven. 



INTRODUCTORY TO WORSHIP 53 

These immortal benedictions far tran- 
scend our imperfect offices of praise and 
prayer. Let them he written on our 
hearts, and this place of our worship will 
be hallowed ground, " hallowed down to 
earth's profound and up to heaven." 



i^mus ana otljer ptttzz 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 



ANGELS OF CONSOLATION 

With silence only as their benediction, 

God's angels come, 
Where, in the shadow of a great affliction, 

The soul sits dumb. 

Yet would we say what every heart appro veth, — 

Our Father's will, 
Calling to Him the dear ones whom He loveth, 

Is mercy still. 

Not upon us or ours the solemn angel 

Hath evil wrought ; 
The funeral anthem is a glad evangel, — 

The good die not ! 

God calls our loved ones, but we lose not wholly 

What He has given ; 
They live on earth in thought and deed as truly 

As in His Heaven. 

Whittiek. 



58 HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 



RESIGNATION 

She is not dead, the child of your affection, 

But gone unto that school, 
Where she no longer needs your poor protection, 

And Christ himself hath rule. 

Not as a child will you again behold her, 

But when with raptures wild, 
In your embraces you again enfold her, 

She will not be a child. 

But a fair maiden in our Father's mansion 

Clothed with celestial grace ; 
And beautiful with all the soul's expansion 

You shall behold her face. 

Longfellow. 

Axswer me, burning stars of light ! 

Where is the spirit gone, 
That past the reach of human sight 

As a swift breeze hath flown ? 
And the stars answered me — " We roll 

In light and power on high ; 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 59 

But of the never-dying soul 
Ask that which cannot die." 

Speak then, thou voice of God within, 

Thou of the deep, low tone ! 
Answer me through life's restless din — 

Where has the spirit flown ? 
And the voice answered, — " Be thou still ! 

Enough to know is given : 
The stars above their part fulfil — 

Thine is to trust in Heaven." 

Mrs. Hemans. 

HYMN 

Still will we trust, though earth seem dark and 
dreary, 

And the heart faint beneath the chastening rod. 
Though rough and steep our pathway, worn and 
weary, 

Still, still we trust in God. 

Our eyes see dimly till by faith anointed. 
And our blind choosing brings us grief and pain ; 
Only through Him who hath our way appointed, 
We find our peace again. 



60 HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 

Choose for us. God ! Let not our weak preferring 
Cheat our poor souls of good Thou hast designed. 
Choose for us, God, Thy wisdom is unerring, 
And we are weak and blind. 

Let us press on in patient self-denial, 

Accept the hardship, shrink not from the loss. 
A blessing rests upon the hour of trial, 
A crown upon the cross. 

Christian Life. 



HYMN 

My God, I thank Thee, may no thought 
E'er deem Thy chastisements severe, 

But may this heart, by sorrow taught, 
Calm each wild wish, each idle fear. 

Thy mercy bids all nature bloom, 

The sun shines bright and man is gay, 

Thine equal mercy spreads the gloom 
That darkens o'er his little day. 



Full many a throb of grief and pain 
Thy frail and erring child must know, 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES Gl 

But not one prayer is breathed in vain, 
Nor does one tear unheeded flow. 

Thy various messengers employ ! 

Thy purposes of love fulfil ! 
And mid the wreck of human joy, 

Let kneeling faith adore Thy Will ! 

A. Norton. 

HYMN 

'T is hard to take the burthen up 

When he has laid it down ; 
He brightened all the joy of life 

And softened every frown. 
And ah, 't is good to think of him 

When we are troubled sore, 
Thanks be to God that such have been 

Although they are no more. 

More homelike seems the vast Unknown, 

Since he has entered there, 
To follow him cannot be hard, 

Wherever he may fare, 
He cannot go where God is not 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 

On any sea or shore, 
Whate'er betides, Thy love abides, 
O God, forevermore. 

J. W. Chadwick. 

HYMN 

Another hand is beckoning us, 

Another call is given ; 
And glows once more with angel steps 

The path that reaches Heaven. 

Oh, half we deemed she needed not 

The changing of her sphere, 
To give to Heaven a kindred soul 

Who walked an angel here ! 

Alone unto our Father's will 

One thought hath reconciled, 
That He whose love exceedeth ours 

Hath taken home His child. 

Fold her, O Father ! in Thine arms, 

And let her henceforth be 
A messenger of love between 

Our human hearts and Thee. 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 63 

Still let her mild rebuking stand 

Between us and the wrong, 
And her dear memory serve to make 

Our faith in goodness strong. 

WlilTTlJfiB. 

TO A DYING INFANT 

Sleep, little baby, sleep ! 

Not in thy cradle bed, 
Not on thy mother's breast, 
Henceforth shall be thy rest, 

But with the quiet dead. 

Yes, with the quiet dead, 

Baby, thy rest shall be. 
Oh ! many a weary wight, 
Weary of life and light, 

Would fain lie down with thee. 

Flee, little tender nursling, 

Flee to thy grassy nest ; 
There the first flower shall blow, 
The first pure flake of snow 

Shall fall upon thy breast. 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 

I 've seen thee in thy beauty, 
A thing all health and glee ; 

But never then wert thou 

So beautiful as now, 

Baby, thou seem'st to me. 

Thy little mouth half open, 

The soft lip quivering, 
As" if, like summer air 
Euffling the rose leaf, there 

Thy soul were fluttering. 

Mount up, immortal essence ! 

Young spirit, haste, depart ! 
And is this death ? Dread thing ! 
If such thy visiting, 

How beautiful thou art ! 

Oh, I could gaze forever 

Upon that waxen face, 
So passionless, so pure ! 
The little shrine was sure 

An angel's dwelling-place. 

'T is hard to lay thy darling, 
Deep in the damp, cold earth ; 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 

The empty crib to see, 
The silent nursery 

Late ringing with his mirth, 

To meet again, in slumher, 

The small mouth's rosy kiss, 
Then — wakened with a start, 
By thine own throbbing heart — 
Those twining arms to miss ! 

And then to lie and weep, 

And think, the livelong night 
(Feeding thine own distress 
With accurate greediness), 
Of every past delight ; 

Of all those winning ways, 
The pretty, playful smiles. 

The joy at sight of thee, 

The tricks, the mimicry, 
And all those little wiles. 

Oh, these are recollections 

Round mothers' hearts that cling, 
That mingle with the tears 
And smiles of after years, 
/ With oft awakening. 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 

But thou wilt then, fond mother, 

In after years, look back 
(Time brings such wondrous easing) 
With sadness not unpleasing, 

E'en on this gloomy track. 

Thou 'It say : " My cherished blessing, 

It almost broke my heart 
WKen thou wert forced to go, 
And yet, for thee, I know 

'T was better to depart. 

" God took thee in His mercy, 

A lamb untasked, untried ; 
He fought the fight for thee, 
He won the victory, 

And thou art sanctified. 

" And when the hour arrives 
From flesh that sets me free, 
O may thy spirit wait, 
The first at heaven's gate, 
To meet and welcome me ! " 

Mrs. Southey. 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 07 



GONE HOME 

" Goxe home ! Gone home ! She lingers here 
no longer, 

A restless pilgrim, walking painfully. 
With homesick longing, daily growing stronger, 

And yearning visions of the joys to be. 

" Gone home ! Gone home ! The door through 
which she vanished 

Closed with a jar, and left us here alone. 
We stand without, in tears, forlorn and banished, 

Longing to follow where the loved has gone. 

" Gone, home ! Gone home ! Ah, shall we ever 
reach her, 

See her again, and know her for our own ? 
Will she conduct us to the heavenly Teacher, 
And bow beside us, low beside his throne ? 

" Gone home ! Gone home ! O human-hearted 
Saviour, 

Give us a balm to soothe our heavy woe. 
And if thou wilt, in tender, pitying favor. 
Hasten the time when we may rise and go." 

M. E. M. 



68 HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 



KECOGNITION 

How shall I know my own in other worlds ? 

For here their bodies crumble into dust, 
And dear bright eyes, and lips that I have 
loved, — 

These are my treasures, doomed to moth and 
rust, 

How shall I know my own ? 

How have I known my own all through the years ? 

By sound of voice ? by color of the eye ? 
By gesture, or by smile, or form, or face ? 

Yes, these were signs that I have known them 
by; 

One way I knew my own. 

But best I knew them by a finer light, 
Sense without sign, and presence without shape ; 

A thought that answered thought, a flash of soul, 
Love, trust, and shelter, and a sweet escape 
From what is not my own. 



And I have known them best because to me 
They turned and clung, with the heart's silent 

speech ; 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 69 

Yea, by their love, that drew my answering love, 
Till on a mount, transfigured each to each 
We stood — 1 and my own. 

And so, in other worlds, 1 can believe 

I still shall find my loved and hold them dear ; 
And shining in new light and grander space, 
Shall see them plainer than I saw them here, 
And make them more my own. 
Mrs. William James Potter. 



PATIENCE AND HOPE 

Bear with thy day's long pain, — 
Bear, if it come again 

With morrow's sun ; 
And lo ! from out the days 
Will open hundred ways 

To peace, well won. 

Bear with thy empty hours, 
And waiting, wasted powers ■ 

Still, life is great, — 
Great hy all human ties. 
Deep with rich memories . 

With patience wait. 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 

" Hours empty, " did I sigh ? 
Not one that passes by 

But sings with hope, 
So music-full and strong, 
We listen rapt and long 

To grasp its scope. 

For know, immortal years 
Beckon away thy fears, 

And prop thy strength. 
Not here, not here alone, 
Shall life and love be known ; 

That were short length. 

Deep the joy-cup I drink. — 
Shall I from sorrow shrink ? 

Come pain, come death, 
Still holding close my own 
I cannot go alone — 

These make soul's breath. 

If I take shorter way 
To reach the eternal day 

Than these so dear, 
May they and I be strong ; 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 71 

No parting is for long, 
And Heaven is near. 
Mrs. William James Potter. 

THE VIRGIN AND CHILD 

Among green, pleasant meadows, 

All in a grove so wild, 
TVas set a marble image 

Of the Virgin and her child. 

There oft on summer evenings 

A lovely boy would rove 
And play beside the image 

That sanctified the grove. 

Oft sat his mother by him 

And, in the shadows dim, 
She told him how Lord Jesns 

Was once a child like him. 

a And now from highest heaven 
He looketh down each day 
And seeth what thou doest, 

And hears what thou dost say/' 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 

Thus spake the tender mother, 
And on an evening bright 

When the red, round sun descended 
Mid clouds of crimson light, 

Again the boy was playing, 
And earnestly cried he, 

• O beautiful child Jesus, 

C6me down and play with me. 

' I '11 bring thee flowers the f airest, 

I '11 weave for thee a crown, 
I '11 get thee ripe red strawberries 
If thou wilt but come down. 

• 0 holy, holy Mother, 

Put him down from off thy knee, 
For in these silent meadows 

There are none to play with me." 

Thus spake the boy so gentle, 
The while his mother heard, 

And on his prayer she pondered, 
But said to him no word. 

That very night she dreamed 
A lovely dream of joy. 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 

She thought she saw Lord Jesus 
There playing with her boy. 

1 And for the fruits and flowers 
That thou hast brought to me 
Rich blessings shall be given 
A thousandfold to thee. 

' For in the fields of Heaven 

Thou shalt roam with me at will. 
And of sweetest fruits celestial 

Thou shalt have, dear child, thy fill.' 

Thus tenderly and kindly 
The fair Child Jesus spoke. 

And full of anxious musings 
The tender mother woke. 

And thus it was accomplished, — 
In a short month and a day. 

That lovely boy so gentle 
Upon his deathbed lay. 

And thus he spoke in dying, 

" Oh, mother dear, I see 
The beautiful child Jesus 

A-coming down to me. 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 

" And in his hands he beareth 

Sweet flowers as white as snow 
And ripe, red, juicy strawberries, 
Oh, mother, let me go ! " 

He died, and that fond mother 
Her tears could not restrain, 

But she knew he was with Jesus 
And she asked him not again. 

Herder. 

THE LIFE DIVINE 

That God is Love, unchanging Love, 
This truth of truths do I not know ? 

Unnumbered blessings from above 
Forever come to tell me so. 

What have I done ? What can I do 
To purchase this perpetual feast ? 

Of all the proofs He loves me so 
I am not worthy of the least. 

Forgive, dear God, forgive, forgive, 
Set free this self-bound heart of mine, 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 75 

That I may learn for thee to live 
The self-renouncing Life Divine. 

I see it in Thy Holy Child, 

As never since, nor e'er before, 

By not one thought of self beguiled, — 
In him I see it, and adore. 

Ourselves, ah ! never can we find 
Till we are lost, like him, in Thee, 

Loving Thy Love with heart and mind. 
With Thee, through him, made one to be. 

There 's no return that I can make 
For all thy goodness, God, to me, 

But, doing all things for Thy sake 

To lose, — and find, — myself in Thee. 

W. H. F. 



Gazing at the sunset, 

Lost in despair, 
I long to pass the Death-gate 

And go I know not where. 

I pine for one lost darling, 
Gone I know not where, 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 

Heart-sick with waiting, hoping 
To go to her there. 

I turn towards my earth rest, 

Full well I know where 
There still are heart and treasure, 

I will hasten there. 

There when the quiet evening 

Brings the hour of prayer, 
My soul gives up her longing 

To go I know not where. 

I cry to Thee, Thou dear God, 

This patient prayer, 
Take me, but in thine own time, 

Thou knowest where. 

George Dawson. 



CHRISTMAS 

Hail to thee, thou Hebrew Youth, 
Light of life and soul of truth, 
Blest the day that gave thee birth, 
Bringing joy to all the earth. 



HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 77 

Ruling all by serving all, 
Sin and Pain thou didst enthrall 
From the Cross, all hlack with shame, 
Shines the glory of thy name. 

Now the conquest we may win 
Over Fear, and Douht, and Sin, 
For thy footsteps now make bright 
Through the Dark the way to light. 

Unseal our eyes, that we may see 
Our nature glorified in thee ; 
Seeing thee, divinely fair, 
All shall then thy likeness wear. 

W. H. F. 

NIGHT 

Mysterious Night, when our first parent knew 
Thee, from report divine, and heard thy name. 
Did he not tremble for this lovely frame, 

This glorious canopy of light and Line ? 

Yet 'neatk a curtain of translucent dew 

Bathed in the rays of the great setting flame, 
Hesperus with the host of Heaven came, 

And lo ! Creation widened to man's view. 

Who could have thought such darkness lay con- 
cealed 



78 HYMNS AND OTHER PIECES 

Within thy beams, 0 Sun ! or who could find, 
When fly, and leaf, and insect stood revealed, 
That to such countless orbs thou mad'st us 
blind! 

Why do we then shun Death with anxious strife, 
If Light can thus deceive, wherefore not Life ? 

J. Blanco White. 



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